Heretofore, chemosynthetic methods of producing cis-3-hydroxy-L-proline are known [J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 84, 3980 (1962); J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 85, 2824 (1963); Nature 289, 310 (1981); J. Org. Chem., 54, 1866 (1989); Acta Chemica Scandinavica, 43, 290 (1989)].
The conventional chemosynthetic methods for producing cis-3-hydroxy-L-proline are not satisfactory for industrial production, because of (1) the expensive raw materials, (2) too many reaction steps, (3) the complicated procedures for isolating and purifying the product and/or (4) the lower productivity of cis-3-hydroxy-L-proline.
No chemosynthetic or biological method of producing cis-3-hydroxy-L-proline by hydroxylating L-proline both regio-selectively and stereo-selectively, has been reported yet.
The object of the present invention is to provide an advantageous process for the production of cis-3-hydroxy-L-proline which is industrially applicable, and a second object of the present invention is to provide a novel enzyme which catalyzes the hydroxylation of L-proline at the 3-position of L-proline and which is useful in the above process.